Michail Durnenkov „DIVA“ rež. Tadas Montrimas

EN

Mikhail Durnenkov

Diva

One-act performance

Duration – h  min

Premiere – 13 June 2026

Performed in Russian with Lithuanian surtitles

Creative Team:

Director – Tadas Montrimas

Composer –

Stage Director’s Assistant –

Translated from Russian into Lithuanian by Antanas Jonynas

Cast:

SHE – Jelena Bogdanovič / Jelena Juščenko

HE – Igoris Abramovičius / Maksim Tuchvatulin

Diva is a searing psychological drama, laced with unexpected twists and complex moral quandaries. The protagonists – SHE and HE – are both victims and perpetrators in a shared history. SHE is an acclaimed actress, twenty years his senior; HE is a journalist. As they come face-to-face, the past begins to resurface, forcing a confrontation not only with each other but with their own reflections. Both swear to tell the truth. But in a world where memory is a labyrinth, is there ever a way out?

The story begins when Daniel, a journalist, arrives to interview the former screen icon Linda Andersen. As the conversation unfolds, they draw closer to a painful revelation. While Linda has spent a lifetime fleeing from age and isolation, Daniel remains trapped in a web of adolescent grievances. Is there an escape? Perhaps.

Our memory often plays tricks on us, recalling the past through a distorted lens. When the same story is told by two different people, the result is an inevitable collision of the comic and the heartbreaking.

Though the themes are profound and at times sombre, the production remains vital and playful, driven by the psychological depth of the characters and a masterclass in acting.

“The moral compass of our society is in constant flux. We can all recall situations that were considered ‘normal’ twenty or thirty years ago, but are now seen as unacceptable, even reprehensible. Diva is the story of two people whose lives collided by chance long ago. For one, that brief encounter remains a haunting adolescent trauma; for the other, it is an episode so fleeting it has left no trace. The production explores the boundaries of accountability. Where does responsibility for one’s own life – and those of others – begin and end? To what extent and why do we offload that weight onto others, and where does our right to be ourselves truly stop?”

— Tadas Montrimas, Director

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Mikhail Durnenkov is one of the leading contemporary playwrights. A resident artist at London’s Royal Court Theatre and a frequent contributor to international festivals, his work is staged globally. Based in Helsinki since 2022, Durnenkov wrote Diva on commission for the Swedish-language Klockrike Theatre in Finland, specifically for actors Ylva Ekblad and Jon Henriksen. Following its 2025 premiere directed by Dan Henriksson, the play was staged in 2026 at Tallinn’s Südalinna Theatre by Dmitry Petrenko. Utopia, another of Durnenkov’s acclaimed plays, was previously staged at Vilnius Old Theatre in 2020, directed by Filipp Los.

Tadas Montrimas is a versatile director and actor. He studied acting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre under Jonas Vaitkus, later specialising in directing at the Moscow Art Theatre School. With dozens of productions to his name across Lithuania and abroad, Montrimas is known for his immersive approach and interest in contemporary social issues. His work is characterised by a constant search for new, experimental theatrical forms.

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SHE

I used to pick my projects based on where I wanted to go. How else was I supposed to get to Venice? Or Nepal? Once, we filmed in Spitsbergen – the script was idiotic, and the film was never even released.

HE

She doesn’t remember. Well then, my dear. If that’s how it is, you’ve earned this. Everything that happens to you from now on – you truly deserve it all.

(Mikhail Durnenkov. Diva)